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Happy birthday to Mr. Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones, who was born on the 28th February 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (UK)!

At the age of 17, Brian received his first acoustic guitar from his parents as a birthday present. After quitting school, Jones moved to London, where he he crossed paths with people like Alexis Korner, Paul Jones and Jack Bruce. In 1962, Brian Jones was searching for musicians to found his own band. First, pianist Ian „Stu“ Stewart came along and shortly after that, singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards joined. And the group was called after the Muddy Waters song „Rollin‘ Stone“. On the 12th July 1962, the first live performance took place at the Marquee Club in London. Beside Jones, Jagger, Richards and Stewart, the line-up was completed by bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Tony Chapman. On the 7th December 1962, Bill Wyman replaced Taylor and in January 1963 Charlie Watts took over the place from Chapman behind the drums.

Bill Wyman about Brian Jones and The Rolling Stones: „He formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs. Very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it – highly intelligent – and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away.“

Brian Jones lost more and more the control of the band, because Jagger and Richards became the songwriting team of the Stones. Brian slipped into heavy drug problems over the years and in June 1969 he left the band and Mick Taylor became his substitute. Only one month later, Brian Jones was found dead in his swimming pool. On the 3rd July 1969 he passed away at the age of 27.

Happy birthday to Mr. Richard Clifford „Dick“ Taylor, who was born on the 28th January 1943 in Dartford, Kent (UK). Dick was the first bass player for The Rolling Stones back in 1962 and founded one year later the legendary The Pretty Things!

In the sixties, guitarist Dick Taylor attended the Sidcup Art College in London and during that time, he played with singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards together in a group called „Little Boy Blue And The Blue Boys“. In July 1962 the trio joined Brian Jones and Ian Stewart, who founded the band „Rollin‘ Stones“. Since two guitarists were in the line-up, Dick took over the bass part. In November 1962, Dick Taylor left the band and returned to art college. Mr. Bill Wyman took over the place in December of the same year and became the new member of the now called The Rolling Stones.

Mick Taylor started playing guitar at the age of nine and as a teenager he formed various bands – one of these groups was called The Juniors and the Strangers. With this formation he had a television appearance and also a single was released. After the break-up, The Gods were founded, which featured also Ken Hensley (later memeber of Uriah Heep) and the Glascock brothers Brian (drums) and John (bass – he later joined Jethro Tull). In 1966 this very young and encouraging band did the support for the supergroup Cream at the Starlite Ballroom in Wembley. In May 1967 Mick Taylor left the band and joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, replacing guitarist Peter Green, who was going to found Fleetwood Mac.

One year later, when The Rolling Stones fired Brian Jones in June 1969, John Mayall recommended Taylor to frontman Mick Jagger. During the rehearsing sessions, Keith Richards was very impressed and Taylor became a new member of the Stones. On the 5th July 1969, at the legendary free concert in Hyde Park (London), Mick Taylor had his onstage debut – just three days after Brian Jones had died.

In December 1974, Mick Taylor announced his leaving. One month before, Taylor told Nick Kent from the „NME“ magazine about the upcoming LP „It’s only Rock’n’Roll“, that he had also co-written the tracks „Till the Next Goodbye“ and „Time Waits for No One„, but there were no songwriting credits for Taylor on the sleeve noted:

„I was a bit peeved about not getting credit for a couple of songs, but that wasn’t the whole reason [I left the band]. I guess I just felt like I had enough. I decided to leave and start a group with Jack Bruce. I never really felt, and I don’t know why, but I never felt I was gonna stay with the Stones forever, even right from the beginning“, Taylor in an inteview with Gary James. Before that, there were also some discussions about song credits: „We used to fight and argue all the time. And one of the things I got angry about was that Mick had promised to give me some credit for some of the songs – and he didn’t. I believed I’d contributed enough. Let’s put it this way – without my contribution those songs would not have existed. There’s not many but enough, things like „Sway“ and „Moonlight Mile“ on Sticky Fingers and a couple of others.“ (from an interview with „Mojo“ magazine in 1997).

On the 10th January 1976, one of the most outstanding musicians of the Blues genre passed away: Mr. Chester Arthur Burnett, better known as Howlin‘ Wolf, died at the age of 66. Born on the 10th June 1910 in White Station Mississippi (USA), he lived together with his mother and uncle Will, who treated him badly. At the age of 13, he ran away from home and started to search for his father. After a 85 miles barefoot walk he found him and became a full family member.

In 1951 the first singles were released: „How Many More Years“ with „Moaning at Midnight“ on the flip side (by Chess Records) and „Riding in the Moonlight“ backed with „Moaning at Midnight“ (by RPM Records). One year later, Howlin‘ Wolf was signed only by Chess Records and the Blues man moved to Chicago. More singles followed and in 1959 his debut album „Moanin‘ in the Moonlight“ was released.

Happy birthday to Marianne Evelyn Faithfull, who was born on the 29th December 1946 in Hampstead, London (UK). Marianne is working as a singer, songwriter and actress over six decades now. She became very well known during her relationship with Mick Jagger from The Rolling Stones (1966 until 1970).

Shortly after that, not only her relationship with the Stones frontman began – she also started taking drugs. Faithfull had a huge influence to Jagger’s songwriting – like the tracks „Wild Horses“ and „I Got the Blues“ from the masterpiece LP „Sticky Fingers“ (released in 1971). On this album is also the song „Sister Morphine„, which she co-wrote with Jagger. In May 1970 the relationship came to an end and Marianne Faithfull vanished more and more from the scene. Five years later her solo album „Dreamin‘ My Dreams“ was released and it peaked the Irish album chart. With the follow-up „Broken English“ (1979) she had a great comeback.

In the eighties, the albums „Dangerous Acquaintances“ (1981), „A Child’s Adventure“ (1983) and „Strange Weather“ (1987) hit the market. In 1990 the live recording „Blazing Away“ was released. Alanna Nash from the „Stereo Review“ wrote about it: „Faithfull’s gritty alto is a cracked and halting rasp, the voice of a woman who’s been to hell and back on the excursion fare which, of course, she has.“

Seven years later, her unique voice was featured on the Metallica song „The Memory Remains“ from their album „ReLoad „. And in 1998, the compilation „A Perfect Stranger: The Island Anthology“, featuring songs all over the last decades and some unreleased tracks, was released. Also in the 2000s the British singer recorded several albums – like „Before the Poison“ (2005), for which she coloborated with other artitst like PJ Harvey, Nick Cave and Damon Albarn.

Marianne Faithfull worked also as a successful actress: So she was nominated as „Best Actress“ (European Film Awards) for her role in „Irina Palm“ (2007).

This day is a very special one, because two great musicians have their birthdays on the same day. Well, I mean EXACTLY on the same day! And – both are Rolling Stones: Mr. Keith Richards and Robert Henry „Bobby“ Keys were born on the 18th December 1943! Or as it Keith pointed it out in his book „Life„: „We were born approximately at the same time, certainly in different cities: He in Lubbock (Texas, USA), me in Dartford (Kent, UK). My best friend Bobby Keys.“

More about this fact (from the offical tourbook „Voodoo Lounge – World Tour1994/1995″):

„Born on the same day, month and year as Keith Richards, Texas Saxman Bobby Keys was made to play with the Stones. He made his debut – and introduced horns on the Stones sound – on the song ‚Live with me‚ off 1969’s ‚Let it Bleed‚ album. But it’s his distinctive blend with Keith’s guitar on ‚Brown Sugar‚ riff two years later that really made him indispensable, although Keys calls it a one-take special. He says, he first met the band long before he began recording and touring with them. ‚I met the Stones when I played with Bobby Vee back in 1963′, he says. ‚It was their first trip to the USA. I met them in San Antonio, Texas, at the ‚Dick Clarke Teenage World Fair‘.“
Bobby Keys passed away on the 2nd December 2014. Keith has twittered this note on that very sad day: